"Duncroft Masterworks creates unique metal artifacts geared towards those who still have the indomitable will of the warrior raging within. The best instincts of man still thrive in a vanishingly small few. If you are among them, you know what it means to live without apology, do your duty, face your fears, make the hard choices, and push yourself forward when quitting would be easy. We are proud to craft goods that a real man can wear with pride."
The Gadsden flag depicts a coiled rattlesnake ready to deliver a decisive, deadly wound. The sound of the rattle advises attackers to think twice before causing trouble. Like the ominous rattle, the phrase, "Don't Tread On Me" stands as the fair warning used by freedom lovers everywhere. Those who understand the nature of freedom know that to protect their sacred rights, one must always be ready to fight for them. The wise philosophy of the free man is, "To each his own, but if you violate me, you'll regret it."
Ever the defenders of freedom, the Continental Marine Corps were the first to carry the Gadsden flag into battle during the American Revolution. General Christopher Gadsden designed the flag and it has resonated with American patriots ever since. When Gadsden presented his flag to the Congress, it was recorded as being a yellow field with a lively representation of a coiled rattlesnake and printed below it were the words, "Don't Tread on Me!"
Before Gadsden created his flag, the snake symbolism was popularized by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. He compared the rattlesnake to the American colonies in the Pennsylvania Journal:
"I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal: Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of stepping on her. Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?"
Today the Gadsden lives on as the symbol for patriots who are willing to step up to defend their quickly eroding rights. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are ideals that must be paid for with great sacrifices. Although they are fundamental human rights, there are always tyrants who jump at the opportunity to strip them away from the unwitting and cowardly... those who desire security and safety over freedom. The rights which ensure all others are the right to bear arms and the right to free speech. Without the ability to say what you wish and defend yourself against those who would silence you, there can be no life, liberty, or happiness.
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